Marking packages
AssigneeGeneral Mills, Inc.
InventorJennifer J. Brownell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flexible sidewall of a package has an inner surface that directly interfaces with product that is contained within an enclosed volume of the package. A sealed closure of the sidewall contains a material that forms a mark on the package, the mark being visible from an outer surface of the package. A production line can form a plurality of the packages, in sequence, after the mark is formed on the sidewall of each package. An outer package of a packaged product can contain a quantity of product and the aforementioned package, such that the outer surface of the package interfaces with the quantity of product. The material forming the mark on the package, being contained within the sealed closure thereof, is not exposed to the product that is contained therein, nor to the quantity of product contained in the outer package.
Claims25
A package fabricated from a flexible packaging material and enclosing a containment volume for a product, the package comprising:
- a flexible sidewall of the flexible packaging material for enclosing the volume, the sidewall including an inner surface, an outer surface and a sealed closure, the inner surface including a first portion, a second edge portion and a third edge portion, the outer surface including a first portion and a second edge portion, the first portion of the inner surface directly interfacing with the containment volume, and the second edge portion of the inner surface interfacing with one of:
- the third edge portion of the inner surface and the second edge portion of the outer surface, to form the sealed closure;
- and
- a material forming a mark on the flexible sidewall, the material being contained within the sealed closure;
- and
- wherein the flexible sidewall is transparent in an area coinciding with the contained material forming the mark so that the mark is visible from the outer surface of the sidewall.
A packaged product comprising:
- an outer package defining a first volume;
- an inner package defining a second volume and being contained within the first volume;
- and
- a first quantity of the product contained in the first volume defined by the outer package;
- a second quantity of the product contained in the second volume defined by the inner package;
- and
- wherein the inner package comprises:
- a flexible sidewall of a flexible packaging material enclosing the second volume, the sidewall including an inner surface, an outer surface and a sealed closure, the inner surface including a first portion, a second edge portion and a third edge portion, and the outer surface directly interfacing with the first quantity of product and including a first portion and a second edge portion, the first portion of the inner surface directly interfacing with the second quantity of product contained within the second volume, and the second edge portion of the inner surface interfacing with one of:
- the third edge portion of the inner surface and the second edge portion of the outer surface, to form the sealed closure;
- and
- a material forming a mark on the flexible sidewall, the material being contained within the sealed closure;
- and
- wherein the flexible sidewall of the inner package is transparent in an area coinciding with the contained material forming the mark so that the mark is visible from the outer surface of the sidewall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.